// BLOG
Reasons You Should be Blogging
January 24, 2022
For years, you’ve heard that your business should have a blog, but you just haven’t had the energy or time to devote to starting one. Now, more than ever, it’s time to take the leap and start blogging. It may seem like a marketing tactic that’s less important than ads or social media, but the truth is that blogging offers several benefits to your business. Here’s why you should be blogging.
Why You Need to Blog
- Blogging increases visitors to your website, draws in new customers, and creates leads. Just take a look at these stats:
- Businesses that blog convert leads 70% more often than businesses without blogs.
- Businesses with blogs have approximately 55% more visitors to their websites. They also have 434% more indexed pages and 97% more inbound links.
- Out of businesses that blog, 43% have landed a customer because of blogging.
- Blogging improves SEO, and SEO is vital in today’s digital marketing world. SEO is what gets you ranked in Google searches and leads people to your website, so if you aren’t taking advantage, you aren’t reaching your website’s full potential. Blogging is fabulous for SEO purposes because you can constantly use new keywords that your potential customers are searching for, including long-tail keywords.
- Blogging equals constant content. Having consistent content coming from your business is how you can get seen and noticed out there in the wild, wild world of digital marketing. Posting blogs on a consistent basis means you have new content to engage your customers on your website and new content you can use for social media marketing. You can turn blogs into everything from posts on Facebook to videos on YouTube, so it’s a win-win all around!
- Blogging builds your reputation as an expert in your industry. Blogging gives you a voice that you can use to let people know that you know exactly what you’re talking about when it comes to your business’s industry. You can use your blog to share tutorials on products, promote items, share how your business works behind the scenes, and more.
- Blogging is one of the cheapest marketing tools available to you. Because your blog goes on your website, which you already have, you aren’t paying anything to have a blog (unless you outsource your blogging to a company like Social Marketing Solutions to save time, and even then, it’s incredibly inexpensive!). Doing it yourself, though, will merely cost you the time it takes to write and post your blogs, and considering the many benefits of blogging, that time you spend on it will be worth it.
Final Thoughts
These are only a handful of the benefits you’ll get from starting a blog for your business; there’s so much more you’ll gain from spending just a bit of time writing once a week or once a month. So, what are you waiting for? If you need help getting started, Social Marketing Solutions is always happy to lend a helping hand. We write and post blogs for a variety of businesses on a range of topics and can incorporate your company’s keywords to boost your SEO. Reach out today with any questions, and we’ll get you started on the blogging path!
It’s That Time of Year Again!
September 28, 2021
Fall is finally here! It’s time for fuzzy sweaters, pumpkin lattes, and, starting next month, holiday marketing! October begins the year-end blitz of holidays that doesn’t end till after January 1st, and once again, we’ll be experiencing the holidays under the lifestyle changes wrought by the pandemic. The question that has followed us from 2020 is how do we factor these changes into our holiday marketing? We’ve gathered a few ideas to get you started!
- Start early. The e-commerce season will begin even earlier this year, so make sure your website is up to par before it does. Last year’s holiday shopping began in October – and usually in place of actual Black Friday in-store sales. And since there are still production and supply chain issues in several areas, it’s advisable to start as early as possible in reaching out to customers old and new.
- Embrace the possibilities of online. Since a lot of holiday shopping will be online again, you might want to consider doing a webroom for products. Essentially, it’s a showroom that’s online where people can look at products from all angles. You may also want to consider incorporating how-to videos, fashion shows, product demonstrations, and more across your website and social media to provide a fully immersive experience.
- Remember email marketing is your friend. Pretty much everyone checks their email routinely and during the holidays people are always seeking the best deals, so sliding into their emails with discounts and special offers will make your business more enticing.
- Social media marketing is more important than ever. Grandview Research estimated that buying from social media brought in around $474 billion in revenue last year. More and more, people are turning to places like Facebook and Instagram for curated recommendations, to find reviews from other customers and more. If you aren’t using social media marketing this holiday season, you’re missing out.
- Take advantage of retargeting. Did you know approximately 96% of people who visit a website leave without purchasing? That’s a lot of people! But if you’re retargeting you can up the number of people who buy from you. For example, if someone leaves their cart abandoned but you have their email you can send a follow-up email reminding them about their cart. Or you can retarget customers by having ads for the products they were looking at show up on their social media. One good way to go about this is with the Facebook pixel.
- Use what you can on Facebook. If your business is one Facebook, you should check out their 2021 holiday marketing guide and find out all the many ways you can take advantage of the platform this holiday season.
- Video is still king. We’ve said it before, but we’ll say it again. If you aren’t using video in your marketing, you’re missing out on opportunities. 90% of online users said video helped them to make purchasing decisions.
The ways people shop continue to change, but there’s plenty you can do to embrace these changes and make your holiday marketing better than ever. From video to creative demonstrations of your product and more, you can be sure you’re getting the most out of your holiday marketing.
Need a helping hand? Reach out to Social Marketing Solutions today and see how we can help!
What’s the Deal with Social Audio?
March 23, 2021
You’ve probably seen or heard news lately about the growing world of social audio – spaces such as Clubhouse or Twitter Spaces or Fireside. But what’s the deal with social audio? How does it work? Is it better than traditional social media? Most of all, should your business be taking advantage? Here’s what you need to know about the new frontier of social media.
What is Social Audio?
For years social media has consisted of text, images, emojis and video. Now audio is being added into the mix. Unlike podcasts which work as a one way street, social audio offers real-time audio that allows listeners to participate in the conversation going on. Since social audio is voice-only there’s also no need to worry about how you look or what’s in the background of wherever you are, making it less stressful for many.
In a recent article, Jeremiah Owyang called it “the “Goldilocks” medium….Text is not enough, and video is too much; social audio is just right. It represents the opportunity for social connection and empathy without the downsides of video. Why is this use case taking off? – humans, stuck at home during quarantine; readily available smartphones and apps; cloud-based technology and easy integration platforms like Agora; the desire for human connection beyond text; and fatigue from too many video conference calls.”
Not to mention, the intimacy of voice makes audio social that much more appealing in our current climate of social distancing and isolation. It makes sense that people would be drawn to it.
Businesses and Social Audio
How can your business take advantage of social audio? One of the easiest ways to start is with podcasting. It may be a one-way street where you talk to your audience, but take a look at some numbers below:
- 37% of people in the U.S. listened to a podcast in the past month
- 63% of people bought something a podcast host promoted on their show
- By 2022, it’s estimated that podcast listening will grow to 132 million people in the U.S. alone
If you aren’t taking advantage of podcasting, you’re missing out on opportunity! How can you get started?
- Choose a topic you’re an expert on, one you know you can deliver.
- Get a good microphone. Simply using the mic on your computer or phone won’t deliver the best sound quality.
- Get editing software such as Audacity and learn how to use it.
- Decide where your podcast will be uploaded. There are several options for this – from Spotify to iTunes and more. Plus, if you video your podcast you can also upload it to Youtube, Facebook, etc.
You can get more info on starting your podcast HERE.
How can you take advantage of social audio that works as a two-way street such as Clubhouse? You can start by exploring the audio rooms available. Visit different conversations to find the ones that are relevant to you and your business interests and participate. Seek to add value with your questions and comments. Next, host your own conversation. Invite others on the app that you may know who would be interested in speaking or being interviewed.
You can also experiment with:
- Branded clubs
- Promoted rooms
- Ads: banners, text, audio
- Sponsored audio influencers
As the future of social audio grows there are other uses to look forward to such as: 1) the addition of text-based features and emoticons; 2) the ability to record selected social audio conversations and publish them like a podcast; 3) conversations being embedded on your website; and more.
Social Audio Sites
While Clubhouse is likely the most known of social audio sites, there are plenty of others out there to experiment with. In fact, Jeremiah Owyang created this list of 34 sites.
- JoinClubhouse
- Twitter Spaces
- Facebook (reportedly)
- Fireside Chat (Mark Cuban)
- Sonar
- Chalk
- Discord
- Locker Room
- Space
- Roadtrip
- Capiche.fm
- Cappuccino
- Stereo
- Soapbox
- Quilt
- Yalla
- Anchor.FM
- GetRiff
- Seventh Ave
- Yac
- Dialup
- Saga
- Swell
- Lizhiinc
- High Fidelity
- Angle
- Tin Can
- Soundn
- MyWave
- TooDeep
- JoinVocal
- FishBowl
- Listen to Blast
- Eternal
The Downsides
Like all social media sites, there are downsides to social audio – the biggest of which is currently a lack of content moderation. Content moderation in audio is far more difficult than it is in text. Clubhouse, in particular, has been used to spread misinformation and racist and misogynistic content. Discord, another popular site, was used to help plan the recent insurrection in DC.
Privacy is another concern. Clubhouse records all conversations in case an investigation of a reported problem is needed. However, they don’t say how long they keep conversations or who is allowed to listen to them. Also on Clubhouse, you can’t delete information other people share about you. When one signs up for Clubhouse, they are required to upload their entire contact database in order to send invites to others. So, even if you haven’t been invited if someone you know who has your contact info has joined Clubhouse and invited others, Clubhouse has your contact info as well.
In Conclusion
It looks like the future is audio and you’ll want to jump on board at some point. Start with something easy like podcasting, then move up to two-way social audio. Just be aware of potential concerns and as always, use social media responsibly!
Social Marketing Trends for 2021
December 21, 2020
2020 is FINALLY almost to its end and what a year it’s been. This past year changed the world. It also changed how businesses and marketers operate, as well as how consumers interact with them. Things that previously worked in social media marketing work less well now, while new and previously underused ways have become better suited to this new world. Here we’ll take a look at the trends that will influence social media marketing in 2021.
- Video Remains King: In early 2020, HubSpot’s Not Another State of Marketing Report found video was the most commonly used – and second most engaging – marketing content found on social media. Social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and more continue to amp up video capabilities (especially after this past year), so expect video marketing to be a backbone for online marketing in the new year.
With consumers unable to visit stores, brands will need to engage them through video. Particularly LIVE video. Did you know that in 2019 YouTube users spent 284 hours watching live videos? How many hours do you think they and other social media users spent in 2020 watching live video? As brands were forced to move events and more online this past year, one can assume those hours rose exponentially. Live video keeps your followers engaged with your brand by bringing something they couldn’t otherwise attend or see directly to them. No matter you’re service or products, you can incorporate live video into your marketing with tutorials, events, webinars, and more. Even with a Covid-19 vaccine now available, it will be a while before enough people have received it to get life back to normal, meaning video will continue to reign.
- Learn to Listen: In 2020, the world changed so abruptly it left people reeling, and brands who jumped to insert themselves into online conversations without paying attention and providing needed value missed the mark. A 2021 Social Trends report found that around 32% of Gen Z, millennials, Gen X, and baby boomers said their main reason for going on social media this year was to find funny or entertaining content. Too many brands missed this angle, however, by rushing to release social media campaigns before finding out what consumers were truly wanting. Taking the time to listen to audience needs means you’ll produce more impactful campaigns at the right time, leveraging your social media marketing.
- Embrace User Generated Content: UGC is any content (video, image, reviews) created by customers rather than brands themselves and should be an important part of your 2021 marketing strategy. Approximately 86% of companies & brands currently use UGC as it has been shown to far outperform brand content, and after a year of quarantine, there’s been a huge increase in UGC as more companies moved online and looked to consumers to find out their interests. The appeal of UGC? It’s authenticity and relatability. With so much of social media portraying sponsored posts or unattainable ideals and after a year of crisis, people are more drawn to the authentic representation of ordinary people and experiences. By using UGC in 2021, your brand can connect more with customers and nurture a sense of community.
- Snackable Content Rules: People’s online attention spans continue to get shorter and shorter (especially after a year of quarantine where more time was spent online and on social media than normal). Hence the rise this year in “snackable content” – TikTok, Instagram Reels, Facebook/Instagram Stories, etc. Even with the potential for life to start returning closer to normal in the upcoming year, people will still prefer shorter pieces of content that give them information they need quickly. Snackable content includes memes, quote graphics, gifs, infographs, short videos, etc. Find out more about the 4 you should definitely be using in 2021.
- Be Authentic: 2020 was the year when EVERYTHING seemed to happen and most of it seemed to be bad. People are tired. People have felt more alone. Right now, your customers want more than just a great deal – they want brands that are authentic, whose values align with their own, and whose actions pay off as promised. So, in 2021, work on connecting with your audience by being transparent, being honest, and even a little vulnerable. People connect with people, not faceless corporations. Get the faces of the people who work for you out there, incorporate more video showing how your business process works, and talk about what matters.
2020 was a wild year that changed the face of online marketing. Some of those changes are here to stay, while others will revert back to the norm. Incorporating the above trends into your 2021 marketing plan will help you stay ahead of your game. Happy marketing in the new year!
Halloween Marketing in the Time of Covid-19
October 1, 2020
Halloween is fast approaching – the second-largest commercial holiday in the U.S. after Christmas. Normally, your business might be gathering Halloween decorations or stocking up on candy for trick-or-treaters, but this year due to Covid-19 things will be more than a little different. This year businesses will need to get creative with their Halloween marketing.
Recent studies by the Halloween Industry Association show that the majority of consumers get their Halloween products and services via the influence of social media. Given the already vital importance of online marketing in the current climate, this means you should be taking advantage of the results of these studies. Even if your business isn’t directly Halloween related, you can still take advantage of social media to create Halloween opportunities – both creating fun for families and kids and showing your community spirit.
People are coming up with ever creative ideas for this Halloween season. One example includes Zoom-o-Ween which would have kids virtually sharing their costumes online with others. Tweak this idea a bit to incorporate your business’s Facebook page – hold a virtual Halloween costume contest with people submitting photos of themselves in order to win. By letting people vote for their favorite costumes by liking photos, you create a bigger sense of community. Plus, by offering a prize from your business (whatever that may be) you’ll be getting your brand out in front of more people.
Another example is the trunk’or’treat, an idea that has already been growing in popularity over the years. This is when a group of people park their cars in a parking lot, decorate their car trunks, and hand out candy there, thus making trick-or-treating a bit safer. If your business has a parking lot you can offer the use to a local group looking to do this, then create event pages on Facebook and tweet out the date & time to your Twitter followers. Afterward, you can post photos of the even to your Instagram to share the fun with everyone.
You can also simply use social media to participate in getting people into the Halloween spirit. Update your page’s headers and profile pics to Halloween related photos or use the month of October to post Halloween related images and content (back in 2013, Tide created a spoof of the movie “Carrie” on Vine using the tagline “stains better be scared”). You can also use Instagram or Snapchat to post short videos of your store’s Halloween decorations or your staff’s costumes. The sky’s the limit when it comes to social media. All you need is a little imagination!
Finally, consider creating a Halloween guide on your social media channels. For example, a hotel could put together something like “The Spooky New Jersey Guide” and include spooky landmarks, any events that might still be happening, a list of movies that are set in the local area, and more. Restaurants could create “The Ultimate Halloween Foodie Guide” with links to recipes, short videos showing how to make Halloween treats, and more. No matter your business (seriously – hardware store? You have the material for “The Zombie Apocalypse Survival Guide”), this is one place you can seriously shine.
Covid-19 has changed the world – it’s changed how we do things, how we interact, and how we operate our businesses. Online marketing is more important than ever in this new reality and it will continue to become ever more important as we all recover from the past year and get back to the new normal. All you really need to succeed is a little creativity and consistent messaging. Spread a little spookiness (and a little happiness) this Halloween season with these ideas and comment on our Facebook page with your own. And if you need a little help this holiday season, reach out and give us a call at (973) 265-2833 to set up your free consultation. Happy Halloween season!
